Eco-activism often proceeds as if the current environmental crisis resulted from accidental externalities. But the deeper reasons for the everyday destruction of both the environment and human society lie in capitalist accumulation itself and in our obsession with economic growth. What would environmentalism look like if it took this fact seriously?
In a world where socio-ecological ruination is ubiquitous, environmental engagement cannot be limited to denouncing exploitation and protecting nature and communities from it. It also has to practice active ecological care. Based on her research in Italy, in this talk Laura Centemeri presents the permaculture movement as an example of an environmentalism that is grounded in practices of ecological care: an art of reinhabiting. She discusses the notion of care as an expression of environmental reflexivity and the societal and political challenges that this perspective raises.